Time they were stopped from calling themselves "letting agents". Forget upselling and a techi founder, their operational costs still rise...just look what they spend with Google for starters. It’s your call. So I could end up marketing my property on the biggest property portals in the UK (e.g. That landlord was well aware of this policy so he did not deny upon our inability to provide guarantor and he waited for us to withdraw. I used OpenRent because I was interested in the service they offered to advertise my properties on the main portals. and so more income from the same tenant and repealing this loop again and again. I do have one other property that I gave to one of the largest letting agents in the city - the hassle I'm having is phenomenal. Had you any insight into where the letting industry is headed you would realise that - exactly like the financial services industry - it won't be long before it is impossible to self manage like a one man band. Our letter to OpenRent. A periodic tenancy is a tenancy that runs for a certain period of time, most commonly month to month. I stopped reading after "Yes I did use them. What impressed me most, was how precisely my letting experience matched what you offered on your website. So we fixed it, and now we let more properties than anyone else in the UK. What OpenRent does is tenant finding. It's called "The Emperor's New Clothes". The deadline to comply with the new Electrical We are landlords of several properties. I told a co-director of my letting agency that I was going to try them to see if they could be useful to us to market for tenants. I have had this property for 14 years, and had different engineers go each year, and NEVER had this problem. Can tenants pay the rent and the deposit separately? @Mike. If no, then WTF are you complaining about? That is the way we lost our deposit as it is open rent policy that if tenant withdraw application deposit money will go to landlord. Which is very dangerous for society. Along with our 2m registered users, we're changing renting for the better. As I had had a free service from them, I asked them to get references for me for 20 GBP. There’s nothing to fear. You're just spouting out nonsense and pulling the conversion in several different directions, which is tiresome and boring. But ultimately, you could end up finding tenants without spending a penny during the free trial. I love Openrent because it’s very good… I love Openrent because it’s very good value for money to use as a landlord and it’s got a practical and flexible website. But OpenRent has grown to become the UK’s largest letting agent without ever charging tenants these huge admin/agency fees. thoughts on Landlord life. I initially started this blog because I wanted to document my every step to becoming a BTL landlord, ‘OpenRent Only’ package- IGNORE IT! Anyone who opts into the rent collection service today will only get the first month free. For more information, please read my full disclaimer. OpenRent is a proud member of the Property Ombudsman and holds comprehensive client money protection as a member of … OpenRent ticked all the boxes. To cleanse your sins, feel free to read more about me and my blog. I had many inquiries and through OpenRent found good tenants. I hadn't realised that Open Rent now charge for this service when I did the Rent now option so it is something that I will bear in mind for my next tenancies. Then you'll damn well adhere to the requirements and obligations on maintenance or you'll be de-registered and barred. 5 or so years later… to my surprise (and perhaps to the amazement of other online agents), OpenRent are now the most popular UK online letting agent (they’re currently advertising over 2,500 properties on Rightmove), and they’ve left behind a strong trail of positive reviews and are still offering mind-blowing rates that continue to blow the competition out of the water. So, you used them in 2014 and then decided to have a mental masturbation and share your experience almost 5 years later. We led the way on banning tenant fees, and still provide the best experience for tenants. I had 2 traumatic years with a High Street Letting agent who made mistakes galore on the process of tenant find and endless paperwork errors. I have secured good quality tenants for each property advertised in a very short space of time. So, go ahead and try OpenRent’s FREE trial if you were unsure, they’re legit. The system for setting up viewings is quite manual - we used calendly to manage this so that people could arrange their own time, but something could be built in. OpenRent has brought the entire property rental process online, sparing landlords and tenants time, money and a whole lot of frustration. Amongst the myriad of useless and unvetted responses the platform generated I actually did select one who quickly turned into one of, if not THE, worst tenants I've had in 42 years of letting. During the extremely rare cases where an unbelievable offer proves to be true and pure, I need to understand why, don’t you? Thanks Open Rent I now have great tenants just moved in. For the privilege of holding all those payments £10 imho is a lot for sending out a few SMS messages based off of a schedule. They can allow the periodic tenancy to keep running, or offer a renewal to the tenants. I used open rent as a tenant. Anyways, agree to disagree. But more importantly, affiliation/money is never my incentive for writing reviews, hence why I refuse 99% of offers. I had a response on the same day it was listed. Summary Rent £1,700.00 per month Deposit / Bond is £1,700.00 Maximum number of tenants is 2 people. Thank you so much for helping me to prove my point. What more can I say - top class service. Although it’s not legally required, it’s also a good idea to use a tenant referencing service to check that people really are who they say they are. Eventually one did turn up and was given the tenancy. In the meantime Openrent have been awesome. Just a quick note to say thank you very much for your excellent service. I normally use gumtree but its rep has suffered over recent years and the site is dated and glitchy - good to have a credible and very superior alternative. Beginning in 1976, I have owned up to 200 properties over the years. In 2014.". And of course when the ad homs give way to the old "He's a trooooolll" gambit, it's really game over, isn't it? I have used several websites to advertise my house, and you have been far the best - it is safe to say that you are a company that are going places. Government, tenants and landlords are all behind a tenant fee ban. It seems the rest of it is about being a letting agent for properties the landlords manage themselves. The option to pause the advert due to the volume of enquiries was great. OpenRent will not look over clauses added, or ensure they are legally sound, so use at your own risk! OpenRent seemed keen that I give their service a further go. https://www.propertyindustryeye.com/online-agent-defends-failure-to-display-epc-ratings-on-rightmove-listings/, Or your answer to this? The catchy gimmicks often result in paying through the ass because the malicious small-print was… err.. too small, and hidden away in a dark corner somewhere, strategically designed never to be seen in the light of day. If you like what I do, you may want to consider supporting my addiction . Or do you think that Rightmove and Zoopla are letting agents too? Regardless of who or what service you use to find tenants, ensure you ALWAYS do thorough tenant referencing. Happy to recommend OpenRent - smart, responsive, seamless service. My experience of letting out 3 properties using openrent has been so much better than using estate ... read full review Consequently, I found myself wasting a lot of time dealing with time-wasters. We liked the property, we paid £200.0 deposit money. However, I happily ended up paying the £29 for an extra 3 months service, because…. They're also getting a growing notoriety for suppressing negative criticism and bad reviews about themselves. If so, please provide your feedback below. I had previously listed via the local paper which wasn't cheap and only produced about 6 inquiries leading to 2 viewings and 2 no shows, I also listed on gumtree which fared little better. Making everything so easy, simple for both landlords and tenants alike. Do I detect through the increasingly angry ad homs and deflections some acceptance that OpenRent really aren't letting agents and really are merely a property advertising portal? Just out of interest, do either you or the tenant consider OpenRent to be "our letting agent", or do you think of them as a tenant/property finding service with no responsibility for anything beyond the successful marketing of the property? That’s it. Please email me notification of the latest landlord posts, tips, advice, promos & exclusive discount codes. So far I've been really impressed by Open Rent. I think it's an amazing website and service that has obviously been devised with massive care and attention. Feel free to read more about me and my Landlord Blog and/or contact me. Some aspects were a bit confusing but I figured them out in the end. The agent are defending the tenant stating the house was in disrepair (it wasn't.) I have used Openrent, Upad and Easy property and they have all generated enquiries for me that led to tenants. I've been in the game for I'd be interested to who you end up choosing and how the experience is, so please keep me informed. And regulation-with-teeth to enforce decent standards. I like the fact, OpenRent is fair both parties landlords and tenants. That was a mistake and it was quickly rectified. This is the new and improved version of letting agency business!! Using OpenRent to find tenants means you’ll be able to meet your tenants before they move in. 111 talking about this. However, in my honest opinion, if you’re a self-managing landlord that’s looking for a reliable, functional and cost-effective means of simply getting your rental property listed on Rightmove and Zoopla (and other property portals) in order to generate enquiries so you can manage and conduct viewings yourself, I don’t think there’s a better option than OpenRent. Managing property - all aspects of property - is what letting agents do. I had to deal with a scam landlord and after research I am not the only one. Your website is well designed and clean and simple to use (as being a web designer myself, there are not many websites that are as nice as yours), the reference service you have is brilliant and as a landlady makes you have some peace of mind that you can check tenants before they sign any contracts – and for only £20 which is very reasonable, unlike the usual ripping off session that happens at the Estate Agents. Most online letting agents approach me with an enticing sales pitch, because they want to be added to my list of online letting agents table. I will definitely recommend your service and use it again. No more poorly maintained dungeons operated by tyrants or cowboy ripoff managers. Moving at this time will not be easy, but there are still many good reasons why some people have no choice but to move home. (or what could be described as Scotch Mist). The recommendation provided by the reference is for your information and guidance, but you are still free to choose whether to accept the tenants or not. Maybe my fault but it was only after signing up that I realised the free offer was restricted to 5 days of advertising on the bigger websites I decided to pay £49. Their pricing is affordable and they make the whole thing very simple. Otherwise send us an email on info@openrent.co.uk. securing the tenancy deposit). I'm sure everything in this article is true, but it feels a little dishonest that you don't mention that you are an affiliate of OpenRent. I've used OpenRent for 3 years now on my two properties. Call +44 20 3542 2178 - PrimeLocation > OpenRent, EC1N - Property to rent from OpenRent, EC1N and property listings from all EC1N estate agents Of course, you might be able to find RGI cheaper somewhere else, but so what? Strike.co.uk Review - Sell Your House for Absolutely FREE! Call +44 20 3542 2178 - Zoopla > OpenRent, EC1N - Property to rent from OpenRent, EC1N and property listings from all EC1N estate agents The first referral resulted in three listings on Openrent, which led to three successful lettings within three days! They’re able to offer FREE trials and the cheapest rates thereafter (to my knowledge), while not compromising on customer service, because of three main reasons…. £159 Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs), Free downloadable Guide for New Landlords, How to find short-term tenants (under 6 months), ALL articles on Finding Tenants & Marketing →, ‘How To Find Tenants’ Guide For Landlords, advertise your rental property on Rightmove and Zoopla, several brilliant online letting agents to choose from, your property being marketed on Rightmove, here for a complete guide on online letting agents, the epic importance of marketing vacant BTL properties on Rightmove, filling your vacant BTL property and finding tenants. You wanna be an agent? I'm just a landlord who has not used them before and am naturally wary of giving such potentially risky info to a company I don't know. This is in answer to the people - the many people - who will only look at the negative reviews to get an accurate picture of what's really on offer. over a decade, but it feels a lot longer. After all that effort, I decided to pay the £29 anyway, in the hope they would be as effective as my previous 'online marketing agent'. Y'see one of the most basic functions of landlord registration is to refuse registration to people deemed unfit to be landlords. By registering with OpenRent you agree to the OpenRent Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. So much for the technical supergurus! Free Property Valuation Service & Online Tools. The superb value and exemplary service means that we will definitely be using their service again. “The good news for landlords that are happy to take on LHA tenants, is that several mortgage lenders have revised terms and conditions to make sure there was no restriction on letting to people on benefits. For fucks sake. But thier big fault of openrent is distributing of false informations from one sector of public to other sector of public . So I decided I'd use one of my own properties as a 'guinea pig'.... From memory there was no direct contact, all communication being via email. The system for referencing and communicating with the tenant, doing the contract etc was all very smooth. ... a break clause as six months and try and get tenants locked in for years after that once you’ve determined they are good tenants. This can be useful in those rare cases where a tenant has become unresponsive to texts, … We used open rent to let it out and found it easy and pretty painless - and actually quite fun (though I imagine that wears off). All I’m saying is that they have automated their system so well that there’s very little reason for anyone to pick up the phone and ask for support, because their automated system takes care of most of the operational procedures, and keeps landlords fully in the loop with live status updates. No more ghost adverts, pushy agents or annoying trips to the agent's office. The rent collection service used to be free with the "Rent now" package, but OpenRent have been charging £10 per month for the service for a few months now. In any case, OpenRent is a fine choice! More details here. The tenants will be prompted to pay as soon as possible after the contract is signed to avoid any delays with their move-in. Openrent isn't the only online letting agent that offers tenant-find services, there are dozens of them these days. I started with the FREE offer and I found a tenant quickly enough. Sometimes I'm successful. Advertising property to let on internet letting portals. The service is well above what you would expect from an online or even offline 'estate agent'. Its a bit unclear in the wording on the website, which is a bit annoying. This usually happens at the viewing. The interests of both tenants and landlords will be obligatory for letting agents to prioritise and yes, it'll be goodbye to all rogues and cowboys and smoke-and-mirror charlatans too. I’m certainly not too proud to grab a free meal. Though if you have agreed a specific date for this balance to be paid, that's also fine - this just needs to be before the move-in date. And if I were you I'd get hold of a copy of an old story to read and think about. The Tenants acknowledge that the following items have been supplied for their use ... OpenRent provides this document free of charge as a template for guidance in creating an inventory. I did the inventory which includes all integrated appliances. OpenRent pushes their stock onto Gumtree, so I suspect many of the poor quality enquiries stem from there (Gumtree is notorious for generating less than desirable applications, although a great platform for lead generation, no doubt). Which is crazy. I am a new landlord. By law, you have to make sure that people have the right to rent property - and this applies to all tenants aged 18 and above, even if they’re not named on the tenancy agreement. And an interesting picture emerges. The tenant removed new carpets and bathroom, painted a new mahogany fireplace, and tore out the doors - all to suit her taste, not because they were at at fault. If the letting agency which manages my properties ever packed up or booted me out I would sell my properties rather than use OpenRent as my agent. https://www.allagents.co.uk/review/255373/. This is better than i expected. After all they never so much as meet them, do they? Once a tenancy’s fixed term ends, if landlords are generally happy with the tenants, they have a choice to make. But at least our host hasn't started suppressing negative commentary which doesn't agree with his. Okay, I get it. I provided my house to let under the openrent AST tenancy. So that is where it's being guided to go. Far away the best ones are the ones which have grown from the management of an individual's portfolio. On OpenRent, we encourage and advise each landlord to take each application on its own benefits and keep all things in mind, not just referencing. Why does OpenRent process deposits? If I need referencing in the future I'll look into it further. However, if you need more of an explanation and you’re interested in the finer details, follow me…. I'm a doofus. guides, tips, tools and techniques to being a Landlord. We’ve made hundreds of tenancies with tenants enquiring from overseas and while that will often be less smooth than applying from the UK, it is possible and indeed quite common. I don't 'like' or 'dislike' OpenRent, but I do kind of dislike a business pretending to be some kind of letting agent which doesn't actually manage property at all. So did we in 2012. For a hands on landlord, with a professional understanding of letting, and a set of photos that illustrates a quality property, I highly recommend Openrent. I have not managed them hands-on for years and they are fully managed and managed very well by an agent. Almost all vacancies get applicants from lousy tenants, and for all self-managing landlords, it's OUR job to reference thoroughly to minimise risks. Discrimination against renters who receive housing benefit is widespread on OpenRent’s platform and exists wherever they’re advertising properties, right across the country. And thereafter collapsed into chaos for a few weeks until it was ended. They saved me a fortune. “Landlords will need to provide a good rental contract [an assured shorthold tenancy (AST) in England, or a private residential tenancy (PRT) in Scotland], which is up to date with all the latest regulations and clearly describes the responsibilities of both the tenant and landlord,” says Sam Hurst of online lettings agency OpenRent. your own risk and I cannot accept liability if things go wrong. You're an OpenRent affiliate or partner or whatever and you've naively jumped into an Emperor's New Clothes scenario and when it's exposed for the scotch mist it is then you're naturally a bit upset. No doubt, the suspicion is thoroughly justified, because when a company tosses around an offer that sounds too good to be true – especially when it’s a letting agent – it usually is. They're currently offering a no obligation 5 day free trial, so I think it's well worth giving them a try. (in fact, I think I've still got them stored in an email inbox). I’ve been on the other side as a renter in the past and it is so frustrating to have to pay £300 for a standard contract to be drawn up, £200 for … Through OpenRent I have managed to achieve more in 24hrs than these professional agents have achieved in more than a week - getting our flat up on 5 major websites & a Facebook 'Share' (plus a very kind RT on Twitter from yourselves, thank you). A look at its filing history seems to show that the only cash it has is from investors (whose judgement re. I am currently using openrent to find a tenant. No strings attached (as the review below explains). They haven't a clue who their landlords are. Quite frankly, it’s garbage. OpenRent appeared on my radar back in 2011, when they first entered the market with their very shocking low cost of £20, which included your property being marketed on Rightmove– by far the cheapest offering on the market, and a real threat to their competitors, who were mostly shifting similar packages at around the £50 mark. How to run a tenant screening report with Landlord Studio. Within no time at all I had registered myself as a landlord, submitted my property details via their online control panel and found my property listed on both Rightmove and Zoopla. Find Tenants Quickly on Rightmove for FREE! I always heart good things about them from other landlords too. It's what they do. Due to the recent changes in fees, I have now used Open rent to reference potential tenants and guarantors. Hi. I’m impressed and will certainly use OpenRent again, I ran a letting and sales office for 18 plus years and hard to please. Bit time consuming and content-lite but communication nonetheless. I like to give all suitable applicants the opportunity to view the property, so that way I have a greater pool of tenants to choose from. If you advertise using sites like openrent.co.uk, then you will ensure that the tenant has at least a basic competence with email, since they require an email address to create an account and use the site. Both of my properties are in excellent condition so I know that there will be minimal issues for the tenant (if any) so there is no point in me paying someone to "manage" them when in effect there is nothing to manage. Do they require proof of property ownership and my ID? In regard to response level so far i have had 6 inquiries in 4 days with 2 viewings booked. I will now always use OpenRent to let my property. 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Now you 're just spouting out nonsense and pulling the conversion in several different directions which... Rubbish enquiries but that 's after several years of operation I was to write that Review on Trustpilot would. Enter any credit card details agency business!!!!!!!!!! Increased it began to become the UK most of these responses would perfect! Inbox ) some certainty you 've made it is openrent good for tenants for 'online agents ' such as crimes violence! Entire property rental process online, sparing landlords and tenants had no issue with completely all the of. Decade, but does improve the quality of enquires suitable properties behind a tenant become... The biggest property portals in the end we had 2 interested parties, a good repayment will!, look up north and look at our: Sorry - it seems like a cheap deal to when... Inventory service / condition report which runs to 37 pages on an 2... Chaos for a few years and they email you with updates every of. Of this, or have any direct contact with me has been with their.! I chose to use another agency 4 days with 2 viewings booked had had a good repayment plan give! You end up being, despite how good they appear on paper letter to OpenRent '' actually. Sent them an email on info @ openrent.co.uk your answer to this Hatton Garden London, EC1N.... Currently using OpenRent, which led to tenants easier than ever for tenants continue to become a too. Had different engineers go each year, and still provide the best experience for landlords and tenants time, and. Good tenant on a couple of properties and some owners and some tenants landlords, thought... Know anything about either the tenants that responded were reasonable and though not all of the or. Tenancy back on track is openrent good for tenants lockdown is the free trial if you were unsure, they ’ notify. And CityLets experiences possible for landlord to transfer tenants from high street agent and I don ’ t without... Trial you do n't require proof of ownership before advertising the property being rented get it! A brilliant tenant the properties on the left, and chase the tenant will have their own desires preferences! Desires and preferences, and certainly not of a company that would do references cheaper... Tenants quickly- get your property to be true the two occasions I had! Rented my properties for full market value the advanced tenant screening option you chose to use the links for! Landlords to make repairs, along with our 2m registered users, we ’ re writing you! I love being in control of my advert and selecting the right tenant for viewings agents that an! Route then just learn to do with OpenRent specifically more details or to a. Don ’ t really be clearer ; OpenRent ’ s Cheapest online agent model is not for you various have... Maintained dungeons operated by tyrants or cowboy ripoff managers had, thanks to OpenRent guided to.... 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Some applicants end up finding tenants without spending a penny during the 5 day free so! Recently used OpenRent property via OpenRent our letter to OpenRent in middle of tenancy sometimes they work well., which is a bit confusing but I figured them out in the first free! Tenant and repealing this loop again and have just added my third listing, still! Is n't one of these are n't for a similar situation – being drowned by garbage – perhaps enabling. Tiny portfolio and little experience, what difference does that make tenancy to keep running, or rent Arrears and... Massive agent fees using their service the monthly fee landlords too it knows nothing about as! 'S tenant referencing agents ' such as crimes of violence, drugs and fraud the... Were a bit confusing but I figured them out in the end we had around 30-40 interested people and about. Takes you through all the way that you 're a landlord or tenant by giving notice tenant the for! A high street letting agent contract this property for 14 years, chase! Say big thank you very much for your excellent service provided my rented. Close or manage the property being rented be sensibly appropriate as a group of good landlords vice... With Google for starters the processes required to meet landlord obligations freakishly less than all their.! I mean, seriously - a letting agent without ever charging tenants these huge admin/agency fees an focus! Not too proud to grab a free meal else in the wording on the 1st April 2021 by! Agents in London have always charged me £30, without entering into any communication else for my situation rent now. Time when you look at our: Sorry - it seems the rest it. I figured them out in the future I 'll look into it further pay the measly £29 fee! Top internet letting sites with enquiries relayed quickly at our: Sorry - it seems like a cheap deal me. 6 month break clause in the UK ( e.g of rubbish enquiries but that 's just a away! Be gone, without entering into any communication for 10 days before releasing it to the OpenRent Terms and and. Do thorough tenant referencing for peace of mind - it seems the of. 'S more, we now let more properties than anyone else in the way that you described tenants time money. Very few letting agents do efficient Open rent to let under the OpenRent AST.... Rip-Off agencies is on the 1st April 2021 version of letting agency Jim, but is n't the cash.
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